A social networking Web site that targets people who are 50 and older, called Eons, launched on Monday. It features an age-relevant search engine, dubbed "Cranky;" a section called "Obits," which is touted as the largest national free obituary center; a Longevity Calculator; and a way to easily change the font size of the print on the screen.
The site will conceivably compete with Third Age, which was one of the first sites to cater to the baby boomer generation online. Eons was created by Jeff Taylor, who founded job search Web site Monster.com.
I played one of the Memory Builder games and was pleased that I cut my time in half after two tries at remembering which landmarks and candy were behind which windows. But I found the Cranky search engine to be lacking--the first item under the search word "sex" was titled "Getting Pregnant: How Babies are Made."

I love lists. Always have. When I was 14, I wrote down every dirty word I knew on file cards and placed them in alphabetical order. I have a thing about collections, and a list is a collection with purpose.
Lists are how I parse and manage the world. I make lists for fun (I have more than 17,000 palindromes) and to relax (I can eliminate distractions and focus on what’s important). But mostly I make lists for projects. This can be daunting. Breaking something big into its constituent parts will help you organize your thoughts, but it can also force you to confront the depth of your ignorance and the hugeness of the task.
That’s OK. The project may be the lion, but the list is your whip.
The first thing I write down is whatever I hope to end up with — a Maltese Falcon, a Hellboy hand, or a map of all of Middle-earth (at the end of the Third Age, of course). That used to be the header in a notebook. Now it’s generally the name of a folder on my computer, and the list of tasks will be a series of subfolders and sub-subfolders.
When I want to build something, I’ll start collecting images, drawings, and information in the main folder. After a few weeks or months, I’ll parcel this raw info into subfolders. If I’m building a spacesuit, I’ll make separate subfolders for the helmet, gloves, boots, front control module, backpack, and so on. Unforeseen challenges — the checklists on the wrists of NASA’s Apollo-era suits, for instance — will get even more subfolders.
Eventually I’ll create a folder called Adam’s Progress. As I chug along, I take photos with my phone and drop them into this folder for a quick reference of how far I’ve come. These images provide inspiration and momentum. A list of what I’ve already done makes the list of what’s left to do a bit more manageable. And when I’m finished, this folder will be my diary of the entire project. It’s something I’ll keep forever.
Just like that collection of dirty words.
Adam Savage (adamsavage.com) is a sculptor, special-effects fabricator, and cohost of Discovery Channel’s MythBusters.

The Hobbit has been good for Kabam. First, the social gaming company created a best-selling mobile game based on it. And that relationship has led to a new round of funding. Today, Warner Bros. Entertainment (owner of the rights to the upcoming The Hobbit trilogy films) and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Studios are announcing an investment in Kabam. The amount wasn’t disclosed.
Kabam launched The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth on Nov. 8. The game was co-developed by Kabam and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It is based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson’s upcoming trio of films based on the novel. New Line Cinema and MGM are co-producing the movies. After a month, The Hobbit game has become the 13th top-grossing mobile app on Google, and it is a top-25 grossing mobile app on Apple in the U.S.
Kevin Tsujihara, the president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) and a member of the office of the president at Warner Bros. Entertainment, and Gary Barber, the MGM chairman and chief executive officer, will join the Kabam board as member and observer, respectively.
“Partnering with Warner Bros. and MGM is a natural fit for Kabam as we create new storylines and extensions of Hollywood studios’ intellectual properties for millions of gamers worldwide,” said Kabam co-founder and chief executive Kevin Chou.
Kabam and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are making another Hobbit game to be played via web browsers. The Hobbit: Armies of the Third Age is expected to release early next year. The first of the three Hobbit films is set for release by New Line Cinema and MGM on December 14.
“We partnered with Kabam almost a year ago to deliver incredible games for The Hobbit trilogy, arguably one of the top intellectual properties in the world,” said Tsujihara. “As we worked with Kabam, it became clear that a closer, more strategic partnership made sense for us both. Kabam is a leader in the industry and we look forward to being a part of their continued growth.”
“Kabam offers great strategic vision and discipline for growth, and they are the best at what they do,” said Mr. Barber. “They are a natural partner for us on both our vast selection of IP as well as potential future projects.”
MGM co-owns rights to The Hobbit. Kabam previously raised money from Google, Intel, Canaan Partners, and Redpoint Ventures. San Francisco-based Kabam was founded in 2006 and has more than 550 employees. I’ve been playing the Hobbit game for a while. It’s a reskin of Kingdoms of Camelot, but I still find it to be addictive. I’m looking forward to seeing more original titles related to this franchise come from the developer.
To date, Kabam has made social and mobile games mostly with its own intellectual properties. But the company has become more ambitious as its revenues climb above $100 million (for 2011).